PSYCO105 Lecture 2: PSYCO 105 Chapter 2

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PSYCO 105: Language & Reasoning

Language

Communication

oMost social animals are capable of communicating with other

members of their species, and even across species. However, these

forms of communication are typically not considered languages.

Language

oA communication system is typically considered a language if it has

three defining properties:

General purpose

A communication system is considered general purpose

if it can be used to convey information about any

arbitrary topic, able to convey our thoughts and feelings

Honeybee waggle dance to communicate with other

bees to give information on how far or close the nectar

is, faster (the further), slower (the closer). Conveys

information but not general purpose. (Only distance and

direction of nectar)

Human languages allow their speaker to convey any

sort of meaning. Not true for animal communication

systems

Symbiotically Arbitrary

It is commonly believed that the reason a specific word

refers to a specific meaning is, ultimately, arbitrary. Any

other word could have done the job equally well.

oSymbol that is used to convey a meaning. Wolf

angry = shows teeth, man angry = weapon

Most animal communication is not symbolically

arbitrary. The meaning of a message is tied

fundamentally to how that message is conveyed.

oPrairie dogs yelp when encounter a predator, the

yelps are all identical for a specific predator 

NOT arbitrary (random)

There is evidence that human languages may not be

symbolically arbitrary either! Although symbolic

arbitrariness is typically thought to be a hallmark of

language, theories are beginning to change.

In practice, the form and meaning of some words have

non-arbitrary relationships to each other: (encounter

words that have similar meaning and similar form, from

different origins)

Fire, flicker, flame, flash

Slide, slip, slush, sluice

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These types of words are called phonesthemes. More

broadly, this phenomenon is an example of Sound

Symbolism. Sometimes, the sound or spelling of a word

is symbolic of its meaning.

Tend to preserve the meaning and forms of the words

Issue of Symbol Grounding: How did early ancestors

communicate with each other if the words they chose

were arbitrary? Word forms must be non-arbitrary to

some extent if language were to arise. What is the

immediate real-world referent of a word, and how do

individuals know that? How do we know what language

relates to the meaning?

oIe: Apple, how it looks, sounds

oWe seem to have a preference for using

continuant sounds (ba, la, ma) to refer to shapes

(smoothness and curve) and using stop sounds

(ke, te, sk) to refer to shapes with angles (pointy

objects) Convey in a more straightforward

matter

o;) actually looks like a winky face, links to how it

actually looks like to make it easier to learn

So are words really symbiotically arbitrary?

oYes and No

Too complicated of an issue for a definite

answer like yes or no to be completely

correct.

Question is: why symbolic arbitraries

would be a property of language or why it

would not?

Etymology: Study of history of words and their origins

and how words come into existence

oInternet slang:

Reserve short words for very common

meanings

Roflmao is less used, disappear and get

replaced by rofl and then lol

Newbie  newb  n00b  noob

Earlier days, newbie meant

someone very sophisticated but

was new to something but now it

means that someone is clueless

about something that is new

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Baby speak

oHow babies learn new words

What is the most important to the baby,

milk and source of food is from their

primary care giver – mother: mama

oBaby speak is interpreted across cultures: (12

months)

Mama = mother, milk

Dada = father, dog, diaper, pacifier

Baba = father, grandmother, brother,

blanket

Susu = milk, breast, pee

oNon-arbitrary meanings?

Generative/ Generativity

A system is generative when a finite number of elements

can create an infinite number of possible outcomes

oIe: LEGOS, using finite number of lego blocks to

make multiples and infinite different structures

Finite elements of language (building blocks that make up

complex outcomes):

oPhonemes

oMorphemes

oLetters (combine to have lots of flexibility in speech)

Outcomes/products of language

oMeaning

Most animal communication is not generative. Either it is:

oNot capable of conveying infinitely many meanings

oRequires infinitely many communicative elements

(building blocks) to do so.

Ie: prairie dogs, specific calls for each unique

predator

Phonemes

oBasic vocal sounds that combine to produce speech

Basic units of sound (Ah- Ke- Te)

oNot all languages utilize the same phonemes

oImportantly: every language only uses a finite

number of phonemes

Different languages uses different phonemes

May hear a language that sounds like

alien talk but bc never been heard

before and the use of phonemes are

very different

oPhoneme acquisition

Question: are people from different cultures

fundamentally different from birth, in

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Document Summary

Communication: most social animals are capable of communicating with other members of their species, and even across species. However, these forms of communication are typically not considered languages. Language: a communication system is typically considered a language if it has three defining properties: A communication system is considered general purpose if it can be used to convey information about any arbitrary topic, able to convey our thoughts and feelings. Honeybee waggle dance to communicate with other bees to give information on how far or close the nectar is, faster (the further), slower (the closer). Conveys information but not general purpose. (only distance and direction of nectar) Human languages allow their speaker to convey any sort of meaning. It is commonly believed that the reason a specific word refers to a specific meaning is, ultimately, arbitrary. Any other word could have done the job equally well: symbol that is used to convey a meaning.